61 Days 14 Hours and Counting Down

Well it is obvious that I have not posted in a while. It's not that I haven't had anything to say. I have lots and lots to tell you. And boy do I. Ever heard of Showdance Mercury? Anyways, I have been so busy. So many things have been going on in my personal life, my social life, my career life and then there's that Ironman thing I am training for. Whoops. Did I say Ironman. I am so sorry. It is not officially an "Ironman" branded race but it is the same distance as one. They don't make it any shorter or longer with or without the name.

From the title you can see that I am about 8 weeks out and have much more training to do. That would be about 7 weeks of hardcore workouts and a week of tapering. Now somewhere in there, September 25th, I am going to either do the Augusta 70.3 or the Six Gap. Not sure which one yet. More on that in a future post.

I have been having some training/nutrition/mental issues the past month when it comes to my workouts. Training here in Hell really gets hot. No matter what time you decide to do your workouts, it is just plain miserable. The heat is something I will just have to deal with. I am the one who decided to make my first ironman in October which put my training over the summer. Great for me. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.

I have been bonking on some of my long rides and runs as of late. I think this has a lot to do with the heat and my nutrition. I recently asked some of my running friends and Ironman veterans for some assistance with my nutrition woes. I got some great tips, information and advice. I thank all of you....for now.

Today I decided to ride alone for three hours. I was not concerned about the miles as much as I was my pace. I dialed it back to a 17-19 average. Riding alone gave me a chance to reflect on how my training is going, among other things. I also did not have to pull any other riders so I was not obligated to increase my speed. And I did not ride any other wheels to pull me along. I concentrated on my nutrition. I was told that I would need to take in about 2500 calories while on the bike during the race. That is a heck of a lot of gels and I just can't do that. I have been experimenting with other foods and today I think I found one that works. I thank B.o.b. for this one. Fig Newtons. I put some in a baggie and was able to eat them while I rode. A couple of them did get a little soggy but the added salt flavor wasn't bad. I got back to my car and felt pretty damn good for the first time in a while.

I then ran for 30 minutes. At about 2o minutes my legs started feeling good and I was getting a better feeling about the run. I still wanted to only go 30 minutes. It is great when a plan comes together. I kind of feel I shorted myself today but in retrospect, I did the distance I wanted to do. I have built back up a little confidence about this whole Great Floridian thing.

So with the help of my family, friends, closer friend and the occasional visit to my Psychotherapist, I should do all right.